Co-founder of The Alembic Press with David Bolton, Claire Bolton is an independent historian of printing and type as well as an aficionado of handmade paper. She recently donated works in shifu (a spun and woven paper textile) to the Bodleian. Although she disclaims classification as a book artist, her works in the Books On Books Collection — especially her collaboration with Molly Coy called Handscapes (2016) — argue with her persuasively.

A Little Black Book (1995)

A Little Black Book (1995)
Claire Bolton
Miniature, exposed-spine, stab-bound with red cotton thread to hard boards. H73 x W60 mm. 64 pages. Edition of 100, of which this is #4. Acquired from Oak Knoll Books, 11 October 2023.
Photos: Books On Books Collection. Displayed with artist’s permission.

Like most book artists, Bolton cannot resist puns when titling a work. Groans must yield to smiles as these pages of selected samples demonstrate her premise that the pre- and post-Gutenberg letters called Black Letter had illegibility as their “chief characteristic”.

While several other Alembic Press productions follow the mode of printer’s sampler and so might support Bolton’s disclaimer, those celebrating her interest in paper undercut it.

From Seed to Sheet (1997)

From Seed to Sheet (1997)
Claire Bolton
Miniature, triangular accordion fold in beige cloth boards with button sewn to front and thread for tie-around closure. 70 x 70 x 98 mm. 18 pages. Edition of 80, of which this is #19. Acquired from The Old Mill Bookshop, 7 January 2024.
Photos: Books On Books Collection. Displayed with artist’s permission.

In multiple and larger formats, Peter and Patricia Gentenaar-Torleys’ first seven books of the Rijswijk Paper Biennial (1996-2008) present a significant variety of samples of handmade paper. In miniature, Bolton’s From Seed to Paper presents the raw material of papermaking as well alongside a sample of the result. Like Bolton, the Gentenaar-Torleys do not see themselves as book artists, but the expressive design and structuring of their books say otherwise. And so, too, does the design and structure of this small work for Claire Bolton.

Perhaps she was thinking of small seed packets when she came up with the book’s design.

Perhaps she was thinking of rows of planted seeds and their blossoming out.

Perhaps she was thinking of the tilting back-and-forth motions of carding or shaking the water from pulp.

Whatever she was thinking, it transmitted through her hands into this satisfying object that opens, turns and closes to evoke its subject as well as tell it.

from the Bodleian Libraries
Isis Papyrus (1990)

Isis Papyrus (1990)
Claire Bolton 
Photos: Books On Books. Displayed with artist’s permission.

A slightly larger work than From Seed to Sheet, this one nevertheless required several pairs of hands to create. Oxford University Botanic Gardens’ botanist Timothy Walker’s hands were needed to supply the plant cuttings, and papermaker Maureen Richardson’s were needed to transform Bolton’s leftover cuttings into handmade paper.

With Maureen Richardson’s sample, Bolton’s book presents visually and tactilely the clear distinction between the layered nature of papyrus sheets on which ancient scribes drew and wrote their hieroglyphics and that of handmade paper created from pulp.

For anyone prowling for examples with which to explore artists’ books, the artistry 0f paper and how they relate, Bolton’s A Little Black Book, From Seed to Paper and Handscapes (with Molly Coy) — as well as the works by others below — are warmly recommended.

Further Reading

“Margaret (Molly) Coy & Claire Bolton“. 27 January 2024. Books On Books Collection.

“The First Seven Books of the Rijswijk Paper Biennial“. 10 October 2019. Books On Books Collection.

“Maureen Richardson“. 28 September 2019. Books On Books Collection.

“Fred Siegenthaler“. 10 January 2021. Books On Books Collection.

Bolton Claire. 1990. The First Oxford-Leiden Printing Link in 1637. Oxford Woubrugge: Oxford Guild of Printers ; Stichting Drukwerk in de Marge.

Bolton, Claire M. 1990. Isis Papyrus. Oxford: The Alembic Press.

Bolton, Claire M. 2016. The Fifteenth-Century Printing Practices of Johann Zainer Ulm 1473-1478. Oxford London: Oxford Bibliographical Society ; Printing Historical Society.

Bolton, Claire M. The Incunable Collection in Memmingen Stadtarchiv : History, Introduction and Catalogue. Memmingen: Stadt Memmingen – Stadtarchiv, 2023.